Bangladesh start series with defeat to Ireland

Host Bangladesh started the three-match T20 series with a defeat to Ireland due to batting failure. The Tigers lost to Ireland by 39 runs in the first match of the series today. This is the third win for the Irish against Bangladesh in T20Is. With this loss, Liton Das' team went down 1-0 in the series.

Host Bangladesh won the toss and invited Ireland to bat first at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chattogram. Ireland made good use of the opportunity to bat first by scoring 40 runs in 26 balls in the opening partnership.

Meanwhile, Ireland opener Tim Tector scored 18 runs with 4 boundaries in an over by Bangladesh left-arm pacer Shariful Islam.

Pacer Tanjim Hasan Shakib gave Bangladesh their first wicket by catching another Irish opener and captain Paul Stirling off the second ball of the fifth over. Stirling scored 21 runs off 18 balls with 4 fours.

After the captain returned, the two brothers Tim Tector and Harry Tector joined forces at the crease. The two gave the team 31 runs off 24 balls. Tim Tector, who was in a fighting mood, was dismissed by Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain in the ninth over. Tim Tector played 19 balls before catching Tanjid Hasan at long-on, and made his innings of 32 runs with 6 fours.

After the return of younger brother Tim Tector, Harry Tector took Ireland's score to 100 in the 12th over with a 34-run partnership off 25 balls with new batter and wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker. After starting with 2 fours and 1 six, Shariful's first catch was Tucker. He scored 18 runs off 14 balls.

After the team's third wicket fell at 105, Harry Tector and Curtis Campher laid the foundation for Ireland to make a big total. They added 44 runs off 29 balls for the fourth wicket. Ireland scored 148 runs after 17 overs.

Campher was dismissed by a magnificent catch from Parvez Hossain Emon in the second delivery of Tanzim's 18th over. He scored 24 runs off 17 balls with 3 fours and 1 six.

Then, Harry Tector and George Dockrell put on an unbroken partnership of 32 runs off the last 16 balls of the innings to help Ireland reach 181 runs for 4 wickets in 20 overs.

In the last over of Tanzim's innings, Harry Tector hit two sixes for the Irish, who scored 17 runs. This is Ireland's highest team score in T20Is against Bangladesh.

Tector scored an unbeaten 69 runs in his seventh half-century innings of his T20 career. He hit 1 four and 5 sixes in 45 balls. Dockrell scored 12 runs in 7 balls with 2 fours.

Tanjim took 2 for 41 runs, Shariful and Rishad took 1 wicket each.

Chasing 182 runs, Bangladesh lost 3 for 5 and 4 for 18 runs. Tanjid Hasan took 2, Parvez Hossain Emon-captain Liton Das took 1 run and Saif Hasan was out for 6 runs. During this time, Mark Adair took 2 wickets, Barry McCarthy and Matthew Humphries took 1 wicket each.

Towhid Hridoy and Zaker Ali tried to relieve the pressure on the team with a partnership of 48 runs in 34 balls for the fifth wicket. McCarthy broke the partnership by catching Zaker for 66 runs. Zaker scored 20 runs off 16 balls with 1 six.

Spinner Humphries took 3 wickets in the 13th over to send Bangladesh to the brink of defeat. He dismissed Tanjim for 5, Rishad and Nasum empty-handed. With the eighth wicket falling for 74 runs, Bangladesh were in danger of collapsing quickly.

But Hridoy and Shariful Islam did not let that happen. They saved Bangladesh from the shame of a big defeat by adding 48 runs off 31 balls for the ninth wicket. Hridoy completed his fifth half-century of his T20 career off 34 balls with this partnership.

Although Shariful returned for 12 runs, Hridoy survived until the end of the innings. Thanks to his fighting innings, Bangladesh scored 142 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs.

Hridoy scored a career-best 83 runs off 50 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes. Ireland's Humphries took 4 for 13 and McCarthy took 3 for 23.

Bangladesh and Ireland will play the second match of the series on November 29 at the same venue.

Brief scores:

Ireland: 181/4, 20 overs (Harry Tector 69*, Tim Tector 32, Tanzim 2/41).

Bangladesh: 142/9, 20 overs (Hridoy 83*, Zaker 20, Humphries 4/13).

Result: Ireland won by 39 runs.

Series: Ireland lead the three-match series 1-0.